EU-LAC Innovation Cooperation strengthens ties in Mexico City

On 20-21 November 2025 the EU-LAC Innovation Cooperation initiative brought together incubators, accelerators, policymakers, and ecosystem builders for a two-day networking and knowledge-sharing event in Mexico City. The programme’s third networking meeting focused on cross-regional collaboration and practical pathways for scaling startups between Europe and Latin America & the Caribbean.

Opening remarks were given by European Commission’s DG RTD Head of International Cooperation Europe & Americas, Carole Mancel-Blanchard, Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Mexico, Suvi Roponen, and local partners including Mexico’s Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation’s (SECIHTI) Director of Technological Development, Edith Calixto Pérez; and Secretary of Economy’s Head of Innovation, Cecilia Bañuelos.

Showcasing cross-regional initiatives and impact

Participants showcased their concrete EU-LAC collaborations, highlighting initiatives that span women-led entrepreneurship, cybersecurity bridges between the two regions, and international incubation and acceleration pathways. Delegates underlined the importance of cooperation for tackling shared challenges – from green transition and digitalisation to capacity building – and emphasised the role of international networks in creating soft-landing opportunities and pilot partnerships across continents.

Key examples include

• Incubateur Descartes from France and IMPAQTO from Ecuador, presented their collaboration in running a transcontinental Climathon for students and entrepreneurs in both countries.
• InnovX from Romania showcased its work with Centro de Innovación UC from Chile on cybersecurity cooperation, illustrating how local hubs can scale impact through EU-LAC collaboration.
• SCALE Incubator from Denmark and the Caribbean Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods (COESL) from Barbados  presented their collaboration on a series of webinars helping Caribbean SMEs understand and reach EU markets.

In total, 46 bilateral partnerships between EU and LAC incubators and accelerators are active or in discussions,  working on joint mentoring, investment readiness trainings, joint press publications and reports, joint events and webinars, startups exchanges, and cooperation on funding opportunities. Many of these partnerships have been formalised through Memorandums of Understanding (MoU). 

A lively programme connecting people and projects

Discussions also included the Startup Thematic Matches, one of the activities of the network connecting the pool of startups backed by the participants incubators and accelerators with counterparts in the other region. More than 100 startups across 20 incubators and accelerators are already part of this activity, covering four thematic areas: green transition, digital transformation, agriculture & food, and healthcare. 

The programme also included a Meet & Greet with local Mexican start-ups. Delegates heard the solutions and journeys of Natoure, a sustainable tourism platform connecting travellers with indigenous communities and local products and services; Ecobiosis, a company transforming and utilizing severely harmful and polluting waste into a set of valuable products for the construction industry; and AgriBest, an agro-biotechnology company designing tailor-made solutions for crops.

Next steps

Participants are committed to turning discussions into partnerships,  follow-up matchmaking, incubation or pilot collaborations, and knowledge-sharing events that can scale successful approaches across EU and LAC.